Penthouse Prison
by wellwritten
Summary: It takes a real man to save Kate from herself.
1. Chapter 1

Penthouse Prison

_Author's Note: Takes place sometime earlier in season 3_

Detective Kate Beckett rubbed the back of her neck, trying unsuccessfully to ease the stress of four solid days of an incredibly challenging case with only a few hours of sleep each night on the break room sofa thrown in when she could. It didn't help that Castle was out of town on a book tour. He would have brought her food, made her go home and sleep in her own bed, or whatever else she needed.

Okay, she admitted it. She had missed him. But, she and her team had solved the case, so once she finished and turned in this last file, she was planning on grabbing some Italian and a bottle of wine on the way home and sleeping at least ten hours.

"Beckett, there's a double at 151 West 54th. Get down there!"

"But Sir!"

"Is there a problem, Detective?" Captain Montgomery asked pointedly.

She knew that look, and arguing with a superior officer, especially one who was obviously in a bad mood, was never a good idea.

"No Sir, I'm headed over there now." She tried to push the thought of the creamy carbonara she had planned to splurge on out of her mind and headed toward the stairs only stopping when she ran full force into a familiar face.

"Castle? I thought you weren't back until next week?"

The author stepped back and surreptitiously scanned his partner for damage, then smiled in greeting. "I, uh, wrapped it up early. What's going on?"

"We have a murder in Midtown, did you just get in?"

"Yes, I thought I'd see if anyone wanted to grab dinner but I'm up for a crime scene instead."

"Well, let's go."

Castle turned to follow Kate and smiled. He loved it when a plan came together.

-o-o-o-o-

"Detective Beckett?" A clean-cut man in a dark suit greeted the pair as they walked into the lobby of the posh boutique hotel.

Beckett showed her badge and gave a brief smile to the man. "And you are?"

"John McAdams, Manager on Duty, at your service. Come right this way."

Castle and Beckett followed him to the bank of elevators but once they entered the privacy of the elevator cab, Mr. McAdams shared, "We've done our best to keep our guests unaware of the goings on in the suite."

Kate smiled politely, too mentally and physically exhausted for anything more. Though, that did explain the lack of uniforms. It was unusual not to see them all over the lobby and corridors, particularly with two bodies.

"Right this way," the manager encouraged, after opening the door to the suite.

As usual, Kate walked into the scene first, but before she noticed the bodies, she was entranced by the view from the wide expanse of 12-foot high windows that made up two full walls of the living area of the suite. The décor of the room featured tan and cream fabrics, drapery and rugs, all very upscale compared to her usual surroundings.

She ran a hand over her face, trying to get herself mentally geared for the murder scene. Yes it's beautiful, but you're here for work, not wishful thinking. She looked into the first door on the right, which was a bedroom, but there was no activity or bodies. The bathroom in the hall with its enormous walk in shower also was clean.

At the end of the hall must be the master bedroom, she assumed, but after a quick peek into that room's adjoining bathroom, she realized they must be in the wrong suite.

"Mr. McAdams—"

But Mr. McAdams was leaving, and she was pretty sure she just witnessed Castle tipping the man multiple bills.

She watched as Castle, who did not look in the least guilty, turned to shut and lock the doors.

"There aren't any bodies here, Castle," she said warily, heading toward the door herself since he didn't seem to be moving.

Castle caught her at the door. "Yes, there are. There's your body, that's one. And my body, that's two. These two bodies will be staying in this room for the next 48 hours with no interruptions."

"What about the case?"

"There is no case, Kate. Here," he said, handing her a small envelope.

She read the brief note written in the Captain's distinctive scroll. _Rest! That's an order! _

"So you're holding me against my will?"

"No, I'm making sure you get some sleep, food, and relaxation, not necessarily in that order."

"Okay," she mumbled and let her body fall into the sofa that faced the windows and the incredible view.

"Okay?"

"I'm too tired to argue. Did you order food?"

"Yes, it will be here in a few minutes."

She nestled her head back into the sofa cushions. "Wake me when it gets here. I'll wait to kill you until after we eat.

To be continued…

_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Penthouse Prison**

From last time:

"_I'm too tired to argue. Did you order food?"_

"_Yes, it will be here in a few minutes."_

_She nestled her head back into the sofa cushions. "Wake me when it gets here. I'll wait to kill you until after we eat."_

Now on with the story:

**Chapter 2**

"Kate!"

No response.

"Katherine Beckett!"

Still nothing.

Castle picked up the bowl of steaming pasta and slid it back and forth under Kate's nose. "Kaaa-aaaa-aaate," he tried in a singsong voice.

"Five more minutes," she muttered sleepily.

"Nope, you need to get up. The food's here."

Kate opened one eye, too tired to really care where she was, but hungry enough to make an effort. "What did you get me?"

"Italian."

"Castle!"

"Man you're grumpy when you're sleep deprived! I ordered us both carbonara and a bottle of wine to share. It's a little too hot still. Go take a quick shower and then come eat."

Kate stood up, pulled her gun out of its holster but instead of aiming as he was half expecting, she handed it to him. Then she placed her leg up on the marble cocktail table and leaned down to unstrap the smaller firearm from just above her ankle, then handled that one to him as well.

"Castle? In the safe, please?"

He was staring at her, lost in sexual fantasy. He didn't realize her guns were so provocative, or, maybe he was just hoping she was going to continue to disrobe right here in front of him.

"Castle!"

Shaking himself out of his daydream, he nodded, stood, and locked away her weapons, then arranged their food and poured two glasses of wine while she showered.

-o-o-o-o-

With the hot water running down and relaxing her tired body, Kate couldn't keep her mind from reviewing the chain of events that led her to be here, doing this, instead of working a case.

Though she'd been annoyed at first, she now smiled at the thought of the Captain's note. Was this hotel thing the Captain's idea or Castle's? Due to the location and expense, she would have to say Castle, but he obviously had the support of Captain Montgomery, which went a long way in making her feel comfortable with the time off.

As she stepped out of the shower, she pulled the cotton robe tight against her body and walked back into the master bedroom carrying the pile of dirty clothes, which, after almost two solid days of wear were not something she was willing to put back on. She looked over at the bed with its stark white duvet and fresh sheets and decided, just for a moment, to lie down. She dropped the dirty clothes where she stood, and with a moan, sunk into the softness of the bed. Maybe having friends in high places wasn't so bad after all was the last though before her eyes drifted shut.

-o-o-o-o-

Castle assumed Beckett would be a quick shower taker, but after thirty minutes, she still hadn't come back to join him for dinner. He pushed open the bedroom door to the large master bedroom, peeked his head in, and smiled, then frowned. Smiled because she looked completely at peace lying sprawled across the bed, but frowned because in all of his planning, he hadn't thought about changes of clothes for her.

After a quick call to the concierge, Rick reentered the bedroom with one of his t-shirts and Kate's bowl of pasta.

"Kate," he whispered.

"Hmm?" she responded, but didn't open her eyes.

"You need to get up, just for a few minutes."

"Why, 'm comfortable," she muttered.

"I know, but you'll sleep better if you get a little food in you and change into pajamas."

"Didn't see pajamas., iss okay, sleep like this."

"C'mon, sit up."

Kate didn't struggle or open her eyes as he pulled her up and settled her into the myriad of pillows against the dark wood headboard.

"Kate! Just a few bites, open your eyes."

When she did, she saw him with a forkful of pasta and woke up, just a little.

"I can do it!"

He let her take the fork and feed herself and stood quietly watching. He was pretty sure telling her how endearingly adorable she was acting right now would not be helpful.

After a few mouthfuls, she held the bowl out to him and wiggled under the covers. The robe she was wearing bunched up beneath her and in her sleepy daze, she jerked off the offending garment and threw it on the floor.

Castle watched the garment land on the carpet next to the bed in a heap and immediately the testosterone in his body brought up a very valid point. If her robe is on the floor, what's covering her body? He looked over but to his half disappointment, half relief, she'd turned over and was now laying on her stomach with the covers pulled up to her lower back, her face turned toward him, bathed peacefully in the glow from the nearby lamp.

Rick leaned down and tried to talk to her one more time. "Kate, I brought you a shirt to sleep in if you want it."

"'Kay."

"Do you want me to get it for you so you can change?"

She whined this time, "Need sleep, why can' you jus' leave me 'lone?"

Rick brushed back a section of her hair that had fallen across her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Not a chance, baby."

A brief expression of consternation crossed her features, he assumed at the term of endearment, but he knew she was asleep, so he switched off the lamp, grabbed the small pile of dirty clothes off the floor and left the room.

To be continued…

_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Penthouse Prison**

**Chapter 3**

From last time:

_She whined this time, "Need sleep, why can' you jus' leave me 'lone?"_

_Rick brushed back a section of her hair that had fallen across her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Not a chance, baby."_

_A brief expression of consternation crossed her features, he assumed at the term of endearment, but he knew she was asleep, so he switched off the lamp, grabbed the small pile of dirty clothes off the floor and left the room._

Now on with this chapter:

To Kate Beckett, there was nothing more disconcerting than waking up in the morning and not knowing where you were. _Like now_, she thought.

Her first observation was that she was naked, but alone. It didn't appear as if anyone else had been in the bed with her, and with that conclusion, she felt very much relieved.

She lifted her head and looked around at the luxuriously appointed room and recalled it and Castle's subterfuge from the night before. This morning though, instead of annoyed, she was grateful, and just a bit embarrassed. She knew she had pushed herself too hard over the last several days, and ignored that voice in her head that wouldn't stop bringing up that the reason she had let herself drown in work was because she had missed Castle while he was out on tour.

Regardless of the reason why, she reasoned, she had needed the rest, and obviously, she needed someone to make her do what her body desperately craved.

_What else does your body desperately crave?_

Kate grabbed the t-shirt and pair of panties from the end of the bed and put them on, determined to ignore the annoying voice in her head, which sounded more and more these days like Lanie. She lay back on the pillows, pulled the covers up tight under her arms and picked up her cell from the bedside table.

**When's breakfast?**

Within a minute, she had a text. **On it's way, I hope you're hungry.** **Can you move to the middle of the bed?**

Without even thinking about how Castle knew where she was in the bed, she scooted over so there was equal space on both sides, and within minutes, after a quick peek in first, Castle opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing waiter after waiter to enter the room. They set an empty tray directly in front of her, then proceeded to place three more trays, each with a couple of covered plates across the entire width of the bed. Then, an additional empty tray was set closest to the end of the bed. The next waiter brought in a full place setting for each empty tray, including a small bud vase with a deep pink rose to accompany Kate's plate. The final waiter provided a cup and saucer and poured out hot coffee and added just the right amounts of milk and sugar. With that, each of the waiters paraded out of the room, quietly accepting the tip that Rick had ready for each of them. Once they were gone, all that remained was the smirking visage of her partner.

"Castle, there's no way I can eat this much food!"

He kicked off his slippers and climbed up on the end of the bed and sat cross-legged in front of the other place setting. "I hope not, I'm hungry too. I'd thought we'd share."

"We could invite the whole station and probably still have leftovers."

Castle started pulling off the silver covers, which revealed Eggs Benedict, fresh waffles with strawberries, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, fresh fruit, and pastries.

"You've obviously never seen Ryan and Esposito at a happy hour buffet."

Kate laughed and watched as Castle unfolded his napkin and placed it over his own folded legs, covered with plaid pajama pants. He picked up a plate and started filling it with an assortment of the delicious offerings. Once filled, he offered the loaded plate to her then took her empty plate and made one for himself.

They both started eating, but at Kate's first bite, she moaned in delight.

"Good?" Castle asked.

She smiled, nodded vehemently, and kept eating. Several days of a snack here and there was catching up to her and since she'd fallen asleep before she could eat much the night before, her body was no longer willing to wait for decent nourishment.

It didn't take long until they were both full. Castle removed all the trays from the bed giving Kate space to stretch back out and get comfortable under the covers. Castle laid down, his elbow propping up his arm on the other side of the large bed and asked, "So, do you want to know the plan for the day or do you want to be surprised?"

Much to Castle's surprise, Kate rolled over with her back to him, then scooted backward until her body reached his. "Tell me," she answered.

Castle raised his arm to look at his watch, again surprised when Kate tugged the arm down to wrap around her side.

"Kate, are you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, just a little sleepy. Keep talking though."

"Okay. Well, there's nothing planned until 1p but I thought you might want to take a bath. At one you'll get a massage, followed by a manicure, pedicure and facial. After that, maybe a nap, and then an evening of movies with snacks.

"Sounds nice."

"You need some time to unwind and rest." In his position, he didn't even have to move to press a kiss into her hair.

"I know, you're right."

"Kate?"

"I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Then don't, take a little nap. "

In response, she tightened her hold on his arm and muttered drowsily, "Castle? I'm really glad you're back. I missed you."

Castle smiled and closed his own eyes, perfectly content to join her in sleep. "I missed you too."

To be continued…

_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Penthouse Prison**

**Chapter 4**

**Last time…**

_In response, she tightened her hold on his arm and muttered drowsily, "Castle? I'm really glad you're back. I missed you."_

_Castle smiled and closed his own eyes, perfectly content to join her in sleep. "I missed you too."_

**Now on with this chapter…**

The fingers that were magically rubbing all stress from her body were not Marta's, of that, Kate was sure. Which meant that Rick Castle was giving her the best full body massage of her life. Well, actually the only full body massage she'd ever had, but she felt pretty comfortable thinking it couldn't possibly get any better than this.

Normally, she would be worried that she was laying helpless, facedown, not to mention nearly naked in front of her partner, but the pleasure his ministrations were causing erased any thoughts of any kind right out of her head.

Though she was curious about what happened to the young woman from the hotel that had brought up the table and helped her get comfortable.

"Castle?" she asked, not able to keep the moan out of her voice when he rubbed at a particular tight spot between her shoulder blades.

When he didn't answer, she tried to pull up, but was gently pushed back down by two large hands. "I'm here."

"What happened to Marta?"

"She, uh, had another appointment so I said I would handle this. Don't you like it?"

Kate didn't answer, but let herself relax even further as his hands glided down each side of her body and used his thumbs to rub down her spine to the top of the sheet that provided the tiniest bit of modesty. When his hands reached her hips, he moved outward and down each side then around to the top of the back of her thighs and then proceeded down each leg. After exquisite attention to her calves and then her feet, he started back at the base of her neck and worked his way down all over again.

The first journey across her body had resulted in extreme relaxation, but this second trip was, at least for Kate, a discovery of every erogenous zone, most of which she didn't know existed. There were no moans now; she stifled any noises that tried to escape. He reached her hips again and pulled her legs open only slightly to stroke the muscles at the inside of her thighs. Instinctively she pulled her legs back together, but his wrists held her open so that his hands could finish their task, then innocently continued on down her legs and feet.

He stopped. Her mind was on full alert and couldn't help wonder if Castle was as turned on by this activity as she was. Too relaxed to try and talk just yet, she heard some rustling and the opening and closing of a door. Before she could lift herself up to see what was happening, she felt his hand gently caress her back, then his breath on her ear.

"The next phase of your relaxation is here, I'll be back in a little while. Enjoy."

Kate did rise up then, and rested on her elbows, only to watch the departing form of Richard Castle head to the back of the suite.

-o-o-o-o-

Rick leaned against the wall of the shower, letting the water rain across his body. He was in love with Kate Beckett. This was not news to pretty much anyone who knew him well, certainly not to himself. He balanced flirtation and genuine care and concern on a daily basis. His whisking her away for this break was the perfect example. The woman was very committed to her job but at times, she needed to be pulled away.

He was glad he had the means to do so, but what he hadn't considered was how the effect of being in such close proximity on a regular basis would have on his restraint.

So he'd lied to her about the hotel's masseuse having another appointment, but he did have practiced knowledge of the muscles of the body and had done extensive research with a massage therapist for a while, all research for a book, of course. The truth was that after spending the morning cuddled in bed with her, he wanted an excuse to touch her more. The warm oil made caressing her body even more arousing than he had imagined and he hadn't been able to prevent his body from reacting accordingly.

_Stop thinking about it or you'll never get to leave this shower, _he thought to himself.

He reached up and twisted the nozzle even colder and forced himself to chant through state capitals, instead of picturing the mesmerizing curves of his favorite detective.

-o-o-o-o-

Castled tucked the corner of the towel into his waist and grabbed the hand towel, which he wiped against his chest then moved up to rub the water from his dripping hair as he walked out into the bedroom.

The last thing he expected was Kate to be perched on the arm of the chair in the corner of his bedroom dressed in a familiar white robe. The sides of the robe were draped open above her knee exposing the long lengths of her gorgeous legs.

"Kate?"

"Hey, Castle."

"What are you doing in here?"

He walked toward her and was surprised when she grabbed his forearm to pull herself up.

"You're cold," she noticed, with a crinkle to her forehead.

He smiled, "Yeah, it was that kind of shower."

"Oh."

"Um, how was the nail thing?"

"Fine, except that I didn't find it very relaxing."

'I can call the concierge desk and get someone better up here!"

"Slow down, Superman. I meant I had things on my mind."

Castle nodded in understanding but didn't trust himself to say anything. _Like were you as turned on by my hands all over your body as I was?_

Beckett watched his face tighten which was doing nothing to help her case of nerves.

Suddenly, it hit her. _Cold shower?_

_To be continued…_

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Penthouse Prison**

**Chapter 5**

**Last time…**

"Slow down, Superman. I meant I had things on my mind."

Castle nodded in understanding but didn't trust himself to say anything. _Like were you as turned on by my hands all over your body as I was?_

Beckett watched his face tighten which was doing nothing to help her case of nerves.

Suddenly, it hit her. _Cold shower?_

**Now on with this chapter…**

"Did the cold shower fix your problem?"

Castle looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "I'm going to go get dressed, I'll be right back."

Kate followed him into the bathroom, not at all surprised when he yanked off his towel and pulled on a pair of underwear.

"Just for the record, if I came into your bathroom while you were getting dressed, you would kill me."

"Maybe."

He pulled a cotton t-shirt over his head and then a pair of khaki shorts, watching her watch him in the large bathroom mirror.

"You didn't answer my question," she reminded.

Rick splashed cold water on his face and wiped it off, trying to give himself time to formulate the best answer to her inquiry. Honesty was usually the best policy.

"Temporarily. Do you want to go down to the restaurant for dinner, maybe get out of here for a little while?"

"No, I want you to talk to me about this."

"What is there to talk about, Kate? Rubbing my hands all over your body aroused me and since I felt pretty comfortable with the fact that you wouldn't be interested in helping me resolve the problem, I took care of it myself. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

Kate couldn't tell if he was upset or just being honest. "So, do you get aroused by me very often?"

His expression said it all, definitely upset.

"I realize you're not all that happy that I'm forcing you into rest and relaxation until," he looked at his watch, "four o'clock tomorrow afternoon, but being mean is not going to help you. I'm not going to get mad and send you home."

"I hear you're seeing someone new."

"Where did you hear that?"

"You know, around."

"Well, maybe you should ask the source instead of hearsay."

"Are you?"

"No, do you think I should?" He regretted the words as he heard them escape from his mouth. Her brow furrowed and then she turned sharply and left. He followed, but not quickly enough. It took him a few minutes to find her out on the balcony off of her larger bedroom, staring out across New York's skyline.

"I'm sorry."

Kate half-smiled, "Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"

"No, but that was one of the most bizarre conversations we've ever had. I couldn't tell if you were coming on to me, making fun of me, or just asking me random odd questions."

"First and third."

"Kate?"

"Do you ever see us together? Like in the future when you're making plans for next month, or next year, or after Alexis leaves for college. Are we still partners?"

"I hope so, but—", he paused.

"But?"

"Before we keep having this discussion, can we make a pact?"

She nodded and he continued.

"I want to make a pact that we have this open, honest conversation but if when we're done, one of us is uncomfortable we can go back to the status quo without repercussions."

She held her hand out to seal the agreement. "Deal," she whispered.

"I am not dating anyone and haven't been in quite a while."

"What about Gina?"

Castle didn't say anything, just shook his head. "I have found the one woman I want to spend the rest of my life with but she doesn't have the same kind of feelings that I do. "

"Unrequited love?"

He smiled sadly, "I suppose so."

"I have a similar problem. I am completely head over heals in love but—"

"But what?"

"I don't know," she said, searching for the right words. "It's hard to tell when he's serious. I realize I'm known for appearing strong on the outside, and most people assume I'm as hard as nails on the inside too. But this man is in a class of his own. He's so self-confident all the time but I wonder if he has an inner core that he protects, kind of like me."

"Are you talking about Josh?"

Kate gasped in surprise and then hit Castle hard on the chest. He caught her wrist firmly and held her close, a smirk on his handsome face.

"Castle?"

He sat down on one of the patio chairs and pulled her down too, to sit on his lap. "You're right, kind of. I am open, and generally, what you see is what you get but I've had experiences in my life that have taught me to be careful. Mother calls those that I've let in the members of the Inner Sanctum. You've been in that group for a very long time Kate, you have to know that."

"But I've hurt you."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I've let you. I've never lost hope that one day you'll see what an amazing man I am and throw yourself into my arms."

His teasing grin was contagious and instead of her normally witty comeback, she smiled in return.

Kate played with the neck of his t-shirt for her confession. "You already knew I was a big fan, so I guess you had that going for you but early on, when I was still annoyed by your very presence, you guessed that I had been hurt somehow. I know I acted annoyed that you had figured it out, but on the inside, I was relieved. Here was a person I admired that didn't know every detail of my life but you got the crux of me, instantly. I didn't have to fake it, or act like I was always tough. I know it sounds silly, but…"

"No, it doesn't sound silly at all."

"To be a cop, I was taught to put a on a brave front. Royce would always say, 'never let 'em see ya sweat, kid.' With you, I never felt like I had to prove how tough I was. You just got me, even from the very beginning."

"Yes, I did." Castle leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers. They stared into each other's eyes for a full minute and then Kate pulled back. She looked down at his mouth, then back to his eyes with a smile. They moved toward each other at the same time, allowing their lips to nip and sample at will until he moved his hands to hold her still and meet her eyes once more.

"Hey Kate, I love you."

The smile lit up her entire face. "I love you, too."

After a few more kisses, Kate pulled back again. "I have another confession to make."

"Am I going to like it?"

"I think so."

"For the rest of my time imprisoned here, I want to be naked."

"What about me?" Rick asked as he stood up with her still in his arms and headed back inside.

"You should be naked too."

-o-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday morning, Captain Roy Montgomery entered his office ready to start his day when he noticed a large cardboard box in the middle of his desk. Inside was another container, a silver decorative box, which held a bottle of Glenfiddich 50. Only one man he knew could afford such a luxury, but still, he looked for a card and found this:

_Dear Captain,_

_As a token of my sincerest gratitude for your help, please accept the enclosed. The plan was a success! Also, Kate asked me to let you know that since she hasn't taken a day off in almost ten years, she's taking off the rest of the week. I'll make sure she's in on Monday, relaxed and stress-free._

_Castle_

**The End!**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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